Incredible Ice Rescue: A dog helps save its owner from a frozen lake in Michigan

Traverse City, Michigan – A man who fell through the ice on a frozen lake Michigan The man was rescued after state troopers used his dog to retrieve rescue equipment and pull him to safety.

Witnesses called 911 Thursday after a 65-year-old Traverse City man fell into the water when the ice on Arbutus Lake gave way, state police reported.

A body camera worn by Michigan State Police Transportation Officer Cameron Bennetts captured the rescue. It begins with a man standing on thin ice with only his head and shoulders submerged in ice water and his dog by his side.

In the video, Bennetts is seen trying to throw a roped rescue disc at the man. With no good results, the officer asked the man to send his dog to him.

“Send your puppy here. Will he come to me?” He yells at the man, who replies that his name is Ruby.

“Ruby, come here! Ruby come here!” Bennetts shouts in the video before whistling to the dog, which runs towards him and reaches out, wagging its tail.

The officer then attaches the rescue disc to the dog’s collar and tells the man to call Ruby back to him. When she returns to her owner, the Bennetts tell the guy to take the disc from Ruby and start kicking.

“Kick your feet to the surface!” He shouts, pulling the man to the frozen surface of the lake and urging him to hold on to Puck as he continues to pull on the rope, dragging him to the safety of the ice at the edge of the lake. The Bennetts and a local firefighter then manage to grab her arms to complete the rescue, while Ruby is still bound by the rope.

The man was taken by ambulance to a hospital for medical treatment and later released, state police said. The agency applauded the rescue in a post on social media site X, praising Ruby in particular.